Cell phones for visitors
Cell phone devices: if you want to bring your own phone, and use the local phone/wireless internet services in Costa Rica, just make sure of three things-
1 It has a sim card slot
2 It works on the GSM band
3 It is unlocked
All of these are critical. I have a Sprint iPhone 4S and requested Sprint to unlock it, as I was making a trip to Costa Rica. They did and it works GREAT! If your phone (from the USA) doesn’t have these 3 things, you can’t use a local phone provider- which by the way is VERY cheap! High speed broadband costs $0.60/day on their plans. Phone calls, whether local or long distance are very reasonable. So, if you have a phone that meets the 3 criteria listed above, I highly recommend you bring it and use their local service. And if you have a cell device with a “hot spot” even better, so you can share your wifi with all of your devices. I use this all the time to use my iPad at the Nosarita houses. I suggest any phone you bring have 3G service, though less than 3G devices can work. You can buy unlocked GSM phones redily on the internet prior to your trip.
If you don’t have this type of phone (GSM, sim card, unlocked), your current carrier may also provide coverage. My buddy brings his phone down (Verizon) so when people call him they don’t even know he left the USA. The catch- it costs $2.40/minute and something like $0.50/text message. The coverage is the same as local service, because Verizon uses the towers of the local companies (of which there are two- ICE and Movistar; Claro is another one, but uses ICE’s towers). The only difference is that he readily accepts incoming calls from the USA, but pays the price for it.
Another option is to buy a cell phone in Costa Rica. At both major airports (SJO and LIR) there are booths that sell phones with sim cards. The booths are run by Kolbi, which is the company that ICE has partnered with for various wireless accessories. For $30 you get a cell phone and a sim card with several hundred in-Costa Rica minutes. These are not smart phones and don’t have internet access, they’re just basic phones. But what a great deal, as long as the Kolbi booth is open when you arrive at the airport. As soon as you step off the plane, ask someone where the Kolbi booth is. It will not be this cheap or easy to get a cell phone during the rest of your stay.
Two things to know when calling in/out of Costa Rica. Calling TO Costa Rica from the USA people need to dial 011-506- then the 8 digit phone number. Calling FROM Costa Rica to the USA you dial 001- then the 10 digit area code and number. It’s that simple.
Cell coverage in Costa Rica gets better every month, due to cell towers going up everywhere. But the citizens are starting to complain about all of the ugly towers, so now cell providers are being required to share them. That’s probably a good thing.
Internet cafes are readily available throughout Costa Rica. But with a smart hpone and for just $0.60/day you can have access to the internet and email almost 24/7 (if you want it).
